Who is known as the father of medicine?

• A. Hippocrates
• B. Galen
• C. Aristotle
• D. Socrates

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is recognizing who is traditionally credited with founding medical practice as a systematic, patient-centered field. Hippocrates is considered the father of medicine because he promoted careful clinical observation, systematic recording of signs and symptoms, and ethical patient care. His approach shifted medicine toward rational evaluation of disease and treatment, moving away from superstition. The Hippocratic method also gave rise to a code of ethics that guided medical conduct for centuries, epitomized by the Hippocratic Oath.

Galen, while hugely influential for his later contributions to anatomy, physiology, and medical theory, came after Hippocrates and built on those ideas rather than being regarded as the founder. Aristotle is primarily known as a philosopher who studied biology and natural phenomena, not as a practicing physician. Socrates is a philosopher as well, focusing on ethical and epistemological questions rather than medical practice.

So the best choice is Hippocrates, the figure traditionally recognized for establishing the organized, ethical, observational approach that characterizes medical practice.